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Tier 3 · vertical & regional

Les Colocs

Group · Canada · Montreal · formed 1990

band

alternative rock

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Also known as Les Co-Locs · レ・コロック

Debut: 1992
Recording span: 17 years
Release groups: 14
Timeline events: 40
Wiki language versions: 8

Compare this artist Read the biography Jump to timeline

Timeline

40 events+ Member joins 18− Member leaves 17▣ Album 3◆ Formed 1★ Debut release 1

1990s
1. 1990 · Formed
  Formed in 1990
  source: wikidata
2. 1990 · Member joins
  André Fortin joins the band
  drums (drum set),guitar,lead vocals,original,principal,tap dance
  source: musicbrainz
3. 1990 · Member joins
  Guy Lapointe joins the band
  acoustic guitar,original
  source: musicbrainz
4. 1990 · Member leaves
  Guy Lapointe leaves the band
  acoustic guitar,original
  source: musicbrainz
5. 1990 · Member joins
  Jimmy Bourgoing joins the band
  drums (drum set),original,percussion
  source: musicbrainz
6. 1990 · Member joins
  Louis Léger joins the band
  electric guitar,original
  source: musicbrainz
7. 1990 · Member leaves
  Louis Léger leaves the band
  electric guitar,original
  source: musicbrainz
8. 1990 · Member joins
  Marc Déry joins the band
  bass guitar,original
  source: musicbrainz
9. 1990 · Member leaves
  Marc Déry leaves the band
  bass guitar,original
  source: musicbrainz
10. 1990 · Member joins
  Patrick Esposito di Napoli joins the band
  background vocals,harmonica,lead vocals
  source: musicbrainz
11. December 1990 · Member joins
  Serge Robert joins the band
  background vocals,double bass,electric bass guitar,lead vocals
  source: musicbrainz
12. 1991 · Member joins
  Mike Sawatzky joins the band
  background vocals,guitar,harmonica
  source: musicbrainz
13. December 1992 · Debut release
  Debut release: Julie
  First documented Single in the MusicBrainz discography.
  source: musicbrainz
14. 1993 · Album
  Album: Les Colocs
  Album
  source: musicbrainz
15. 14 February 1993 · Member joins
  Mara Tremblay joins the band
  additional,violin
  source: musicbrainz
16. 1994 · Member leaves
  Mara Tremblay leaves the band
  additional,violin
  source: musicbrainz
17. April 1994 · Member joins
  Benoît Gagné joins the band
  trombone
  source: musicbrainz
18. April 1994 · Member joins
  Benoît Piché joins the band
  trumpet
  source: musicbrainz
19. 13 November 1994 · Member leaves
  Patrick Esposito di Napoli leaves the band
  background vocals,harmonica,lead vocals
  source: musicbrainz
20. December 1995 · Member leaves
  Serge Robert leaves the band
  background vocals,double bass,electric bass guitar,lead vocals
  source: musicbrainz
21. December 1995 · Member joins
  Vander joins the band
  background vocals,electric bass guitar,lead vocals
  source: musicbrainz
22. 1997 · Member leaves
  Benoît Gagné leaves the band
  trombone
  source: musicbrainz
23. 1997 · Member leaves
  Benoît Piché leaves the band
  trumpet
  source: musicbrainz
24. 1997 · Member joins
  Justin Allard joins the band
  drums (drum set)
  source: musicbrainz
25. 1997 · Member joins
  Karim Diouf joins the band
  background vocals,lead vocals,percussion
  source: musicbrainz
26. 1997 · Member joins
  Michel Dufour joins the band
  drums (drum set)
  source: musicbrainz
27. 1997 · Member joins
  Élage Diouf joins the band
  background vocals,lead vocals,percussion
  source: musicbrainz
28. February 1998 · Member leaves
  Jimmy Bourgoing leaves the band
  drums (drum set),original,percussion
  source: musicbrainz
29. 1 May 1998 · Album
  Album: Dehors novembre
  Album
  source: musicbrainz
30. 1999 · Member joins
  Jean-Denis Levasseur joins the band
  clarinet
  source: musicbrainz
31. 1999 · Member leaves
  Jean-Denis Levasseur leaves the band
  clarinet
  source: musicbrainz
2000s
1. 2000 · Member leaves
  Mike Sawatzky leaves the band
  background vocals,guitar,harmonica
  source: musicbrainz
2. 2000 · Member leaves
  Justin Allard leaves the band
  drums (drum set)
  source: musicbrainz
3. 2000 · Member leaves
  Karim Diouf leaves the band
  background vocals,lead vocals,percussion
  source: musicbrainz
4. 2000 · Member leaves
  Michel Dufour leaves the band
  drums (drum set)
  source: musicbrainz
5. 2000 · Member leaves
  Élage Diouf leaves the band
  background vocals,lead vocals,percussion
  source: musicbrainz
6. May 2000 · Member leaves
  Vander leaves the band
  background vocals,electric bass guitar,lead vocals
  source: musicbrainz
7. 8 May 2000 · Member leaves
  André Fortin leaves the band
  drums (drum set),guitar,lead vocals,original,principal,tap dance
  source: musicbrainz
8. 24 July 2001 · Album
  Album: Suite 2116
  Album
  source: musicbrainz
9. 2009 · Member joins
  Mike Sawatzky joins the band
  lead vocals
  source: musicbrainz

Biography

English biography361 words · 5 sectionssource: wikipedia-en · licence CC BY-SA 4.0 · revision 1375758490

Biography

Les Colocs (The Roommates) were a Quebec rock band formed in Montreal in 1990 by singer-songwriter André "Dédé" Fortin. Known for their energetic performances and eclectic fusion of musical styles, they blended rock with folk, swing, blues, and world music. Their lyrics, written in Quebec French, addressed social themes such as poverty, homelessness, HIV/AIDS, and consumerism while maintaining a lighthearted and humorous public image, which contributed to their widespread appeal.

History

The band gained prominence with their self-titled debut album, selling over 60,000 copies and establishing a reputation for combining sharp social commentary with catchy melodies. Despite frequent lineup changes, Fortin and guitarist Mike Sawatzky remained the core members. Following their 1995 album AtrocetomiqueAtrocetomique23 October 1995 · Album · LiveSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 24 tracks · 2 discsDisc 11La chanson du scorpion2:512Bonyeu3:163La p'tite bébitte2:464Ain't Givin Up4:135J'ai pas compris3:026Atrocetomique5:017On va crever en attendant l'été (ou l'hiver)3:028Tout l'monde2:229Hého3:0410Luvla Girl4:5511Hong Kong Blues4:3412Prends tes bagages4:03Disc 21Julie4:302Le roi d'Angleterre4:323La rue principale4:314Dédé2:405Je chante comme une casserole5:376Seropositif boogie6:567Juste une p'tite nuite4:198Maudit qu'le monde est beau4:369Mauvais caractère4:4110La traversée3:4011Passe-moé-la puck3:2412Le pouding à l'arsenic8:54, they expanded their sound by collaborating with Senegalese musicians the Diouf brothers on Dehors novembre (1998), an album noted for its introspective themes.
Although often perceived as a "party band," Fortin later emphasized the importance of his lyrics, aiming to balance entertainment with social critique. He believed in writing from personal experience to create universally relatable songs, a method evident in tracks like "La rue principale" and "Juste une p’tite nuite".
Fortin died by suicide on May 8, 2000, effectively ending the band. The remaining members released a final album, Suite 2116Suite 211624 July 2001 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 8 tracks1Naala Yééssi (Je passerai te réveiller)4:342Paysage6:203Rythmes Siko6:474Bossa2:405Pissiômoins7:406Le parti Robin des bois3:167Wéétoo (L'ennui)3:398Du temps pour essayer8:22, before disbanding. Despite their relatively short career, Les Colocs remain an influential part of Quebec's music history, recognized for their blend of social commentary and musical innovation.

Members

Dédé Fortin (songwriting, vocals, guitar, drums, etc.)
Mike Sawatzky (guitar, saxophone & harmonica)
Serge Robert (double bass; later known as Mononc' Serge, quit after "AtrocetomiqueAtrocetomique23 October 1995 · Album · LiveSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 24 tracks · 2 discsDisc 11La chanson du scorpion2:512Bonyeu3:163La p'tite bébitte2:464Ain't Givin Up4:135J'ai pas compris3:026Atrocetomique5:017On va crever en attendant l'été (ou l'hiver)3:028Tout l'monde2:229Hého3:0410Luvla Girl4:5511Hong Kong Blues4:3412Prends tes bagages4:03Disc 21Julie4:302Le roi d'Angleterre4:323La rue principale4:314Dédé2:405Je chante comme une casserole5:376Seropositif boogie6:567Juste une p'tite nuite4:198Maudit qu'le monde est beau4:369Mauvais caractère4:4110La traversée3:4011Passe-moé-la puck3:2412Le pouding à l'arsenic8:54" for a solo career)
André Vanderbiest (double bass; replaced Serge Robert)
Patrick Esposito Di Napoli (harmonica; died of AIDS in 1994)
Justin Allard (drums, replaced Jimmy Bourgoing)
Jean-Denis Levasseur (clarinet & saxophone; joined for "Dehors novembreDehors novembre1 May 1998 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 9 tracks1Belzébuth9:262Pis si ô moin5:123Tassez‐vous de d’là5:364La maladresse3:525Le répondeur3:486Tout seul3:487U‐turn5:558Tellement longtemps4:079Dehors novembre6:04")

Additional associated musicians

Louis Léger (guitar)
Cameron delay (guitar)
Mara Tremblay (violin)
Joel Zifkin (violin)
Guy Bélanger (harmonica)
Benoît Gagné (trombone)
Benoît Piché (trumpet)
Élage Diouf|El Hadji Fall Diouf (singer and percussionist)
Pape Abdou Karim Diouf (singer and percussionist)
Michel Dufour (drums)

Albums

Les Colocs (1993)
Atrocetomique (live; 1995)
Dehors novembre (1998)
Les années 1992-1995 (compilation; 2001)
Suite 2116 (posthumous; 2001)
Live 1993-1998 (live compilation; 2004)
Il me parle de bonheur (2009)

Discography & profile

Normalised profile

Percentiles are computed over every artist in the database, so a tier-3 artist can still sit in the 95th percentile on a single axis.

Normalised profile metrics with percentile rank
Metric	Value	Percentile
Wikipedia language versions	8	49.7th
Spotify monthly listeners	—	no data
Release groups in DB	14	84.5th
Studio albums	3	80.9th
Awards recorded	0	0th
Timeline events	40	98.1th
Recording span (years)	17	39.7th
Genres	3	80.4th

Percentiles are computed at render time; missing values mean the artist has no data on that axis.

Discography (14 release groups · 3 studio albums)

Albums · 3

Les Colocs
1993 · studio album
Search Spotify Search YouTube Music
Tracklist · 10 tracks · 36:45
1Dédé2:44
2La Rue Principale3:55
3Passe-moé la puck3:28
4Mauvais caractère3:51
5Séropositif boogie4:08
6La Traversée3:13
7Je chante comme une casserole3:20
8Maudit qu'le monde est beau4:10
9Juste une p'tite nuite3:48
10Julie4:08
Dehors novembre
1998 · studio album
Search Spotify Search YouTube Music
Tracklist · 9 tracks · 47:48
1Belzébuth9:26
2Pis si ô moin5:12
3Tassez‐vous de d’là5:36
4La maladresse3:52
5Le répondeur3:48
6Tout seul3:48
7U‐turn5:55
8Tellement longtemps4:07
9Dehors novembre6:04
Suite 2116
2001 · studio album
Search Spotify Search YouTube Music
Tracklist · 8 tracks · 43:18
1Naala Yééssi (Je passerai te réveiller)4:34
2Paysage6:20
3Rythmes Siko6:47
4Bossa2:40
5Pissiômoins7:40
6Le parti Robin des bois3:16
7Wéétoo (L'ennui)3:39
8Du temps pour essayer8:22

Single · 6

Single release groups, by first release date
Year	Title	First release
1992	JulieSearch Spotify Search YouTube Music Tracklist · 1 track · 4:08 1Julie4:08	December 1992
1993	Passe-moé la puckSearch Spotify Search YouTube Music Tracklist · 1 track · 3:28 1Passe-moé la puck3:28	1993
1995	HéhoSearch Spotify Search YouTube Music Tracklist · 1 track · 3:04 1Hého3:04	November 1995
1998	Tassez-vous de d'làSearch Spotify Search YouTube Music Tracklist · 1 track · 4:20 1Tassez-vous de d'là4:20	April 1998
1999	PissiômoinsSearch Spotify Search YouTube Music Tracklist · 1 track · 4:30 1Pissiômoins4:30	July 1999
2001	PaysagesSearch Spotify Search YouTube Music Tracklist · 1 track · 6:19 1Paysages6:19	June 2001

Album · 4

Album release groups, by first release date
Year	Title	Notes	First release
1995	AtrocetomiqueSearch Spotify Search YouTube Music Tracklist · 24 tracks · 1:41:29 Disc 112 tracks · 43:09 1La chanson du scorpion2:51 2Bonyeu3:16 3La p'tite bébitte2:46 4Ain't Givin Up4:13 5J'ai pas compris3:02 6Atrocetomique5:01 7On va crever en attendant l'été (ou l'hiver)3:02 8Tout l'monde2:22 9Hého3:04 10Luvla Girl4:55 11Hong Kong Blues4:34 12Prends tes bagages4:03 Disc 212 tracks · 58:20 1Julie4:30 2Le roi d'Angleterre4:32 3La rue principale4:31 4Dédé2:40 5Je chante comme une casserole5:37 6Seropositif boogie6:56 7Juste une p'tite nuite4:19 8Maudit qu'le monde est beau4:36 9Mauvais caractère4:41 10La traversée3:40 11Passe-moé-la puck3:24 12Le pouding à l'arsenic8:54	Live	23 October 1995
2001	Les Années 1992–1995Search Spotify Search YouTube Music Tracklist · 19 tracks · 58:24 1La Rue Principale3:58 2Passe-moé la puck3:31 3Julie4:11 4Maudit qu'le monde est beau4:12 5Je chante comme une casserole3:23 6La Traversée3:16 7La Chanson du Scorpion2:53 8Dédé2:47 9BonYeu3:17 10La P'tite Bebitte2:46 11Atrocetomique5:00 12On va crever en attendant l'été (ou l'hiver)3:04 13Ain't Givin' Up4:14 14Séropositif Boogie4:10 15Mauvais caractère3:54 16Juste une p'tite nuite3:48 17Julie 18Passe-moé la puck 19La Rue Principale	Compilation	17 April 2001
2002	L'Intégrale 1993-2000Search Spotify Search YouTube Music Tracklist · 32 tracks 1Passe-moé la puck 2La Rue Principale 3Juste une p'tite nuite 4Séropositif Boogie 5Maudit qu'le monde est beau 6Luv la Girl 7Julie 8La Traversée 9La Chanson du Scorpion 10Bon Yeu 11Passe-moé la puck 12On va crever 13Dédé 14Ain't Givin' Up 15Hého 16Je chante comme une casserole 17Mauvais caractère 18Hong Kong Blues 19J'ai pas compris 20Atrocetomique 21La P'tite Bebitte 22Prends tes bagages 23Le Pouding à l'arsenic 24J'suis snob 25Belzébuth 26Tout seul 27Pis si ô moins 28U-Turn 29Tassez-vous de d'là 30Linda 31Dehors novembre 32Le Répondeur	Compilation,Live	5 November 2002
2004	Les Colocs live 1993–1998Search Spotify Search YouTube Music Tracklist · 27 tracks · 1:40:53 Disc 114 tracks · 53:29 1Passe‐moé la puck3:29 2La Rue principale4:01 3Juste une p’tite nuite3:17 4Maudit qu’le monde est beau3:40 5Julie3:26 6La Traversée3:48 7On va crever en attendant l’été (ou l’hiver)3:05 8Dédé2:32 9Mauvais Caractère4:51 10Bon Yeu3:18 11Le Pouding à l’arsenic4:28 12Hong Kong Blues4:35 13J’suis snob2:54 14Tassez‐vous de d’là6:05 Disc 213 tracks · 47:24 1Passe‐moé la puck3:29 2La Rue principale4:01 3Juste une p’tite nuite3:17 4Maudit qu’le monde est beau3:40 5Julie3:26 6La Traversée3:48 7On va crever en attendant l’été (ou l’hiver)3:05 8Dédé2:32 9Mauvais Caractère4:51 10Bon Yeu3:18 11Le Pouding à l’arsenic4:28 12Hong Kong Blues4:35 13J’suis snob2:54	Compilation,Live	28 September 2004

EP · 1

EP release groups, by first release date
Cover	Year	Title	Notes	First release
	2009	Il me parle de bonheurSearch Spotify Search YouTube Music Tracklist · 3 tracks · 20:38 1La Comète (des Colocs)3:49 2La Comète (Version longue)11:22 3La Comète (d'André Fortin)5:27		3 August 2009

Stats & PK

Percentile within all 23,672 published artists.Put Les Colocs head-to-head →

Les Colocs metrics with percentile rank among published artists
Metric	Value	Percentile
Wikipedia language versions	8	49.7th
Spotify monthly listeners	—	no data
Release groups in DB	14	84.5th
Studio albums	3	80.9th
Awards recorded	0	0th
Timeline events	40	98.1th
Recording span (years)	17	39.7th
Genres	3	80.4th

Awards & honours

No awards recorded

No major awards are stored for this artist yet.

Browse the best-documented artists

Line-up

Band line-up and band memberships with dates
Name	From	To	Role
André Fortin	1990	8 May 2000	drums (drum set),guitar,lead vocals,original,principal,tap dance
Guy Lapointe	1990	1990	acoustic guitar,original
Jimmy Bourgoing	1990	February 1998	drums (drum set),original,percussion
Louis Léger	1990	1990	electric guitar,original
Marc Déry	1990	1990	bass guitar,original
Patrick Esposito di Napoli	1990	13 November 1994	background vocals,harmonica,lead vocals
Serge Robert	December 1990	December 1995	background vocals,double bass,electric bass guitar,lead vocals
Mike Sawatzky	1991	2000	background vocals,guitar,harmonica
Mara Tremblay	14 February 1993	1994	additional,violin
Benoît Gagné	April 1994	1997	trombone
Benoît Piché	April 1994	1997	trumpet
Vander	December 1995	May 2000	background vocals,electric bass guitar,lead vocals
Justin Allard	1997	2000	drums (drum set)
Karim Diouf	1997	2000	background vocals,lead vocals,percussion
Michel Dufour	1997	2000	drums (drum set)
Élage Diouf	1997	2000	background vocals,lead vocals,percussion
Jean-Denis Levasseur	1999	1999	clarinet
Mike Sawatzky	2009	present	lead vocals
Charles Imbeau	—	present	trumpet
Joel Zifkin	—	present	violin
Yves Desrosiers	—	present

Where this record comes from

aliases/urls—musicbrainz · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://musicbrainz.org/artist/b5db5abc-65fa-40fd-8655-7936eed77387
discography—musicbrainz · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://musicbrainz.org/artist/b5db5abc-65fa-40fd-8655-7936eed77387
core—wikidata · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1143294
genre—wikidata · CC0 · retrieved 11 October 2026
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1143294
seed-list—wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Colocs
biography—wikipedia-en · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Colocs

Why this artist is in the database

List of folk musicians

Tier rule: curated genre/region list
Image: no portrait (not displayed: the licence credit is missing)
Wikidata: Q1143294 · MusicBrainz: b5db5abc-65fa-40fd-8655-7936eed77387

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Timeline

1990s

Formed in 1990

André Fortin joins the band

Guy Lapointe joins the band

Guy Lapointe leaves the band

Jimmy Bourgoing joins the band

Louis Léger joins the band

Louis Léger leaves the band

Marc Déry joins the band

Marc Déry leaves the band

Patrick Esposito di Napoli joins the band

Serge Robert joins the band

Mike Sawatzky joins the band

Debut release: Julie

Album: Les Colocs

Mara Tremblay joins the band

Mara Tremblay leaves the band

Benoît Gagné joins the band

Benoît Piché joins the band

Patrick Esposito di Napoli leaves the band

Serge Robert leaves the band

Vander joins the band

Benoît Gagné leaves the band

Benoît Piché leaves the band

Justin Allard joins the band

Karim Diouf joins the band

Michel Dufour joins the band

Élage Diouf joins the band

Jimmy Bourgoing leaves the band

Album: Dehors novembre

Jean-Denis Levasseur joins the band

Jean-Denis Levasseur leaves the band

2000s

Mike Sawatzky leaves the band

Justin Allard leaves the band

Karim Diouf leaves the band

Michel Dufour leaves the band

Élage Diouf leaves the band

Vander leaves the band

André Fortin leaves the band

Album: Suite 2116

Mike Sawatzky joins the band

Biography

Biography

History

Members

Additional associated musicians

Albums

Discography & profile

Normalised profile

Discography (14 release groups · 3 studio albums)

Albums · 3

Single · 6

Album · 4

EP · 1

Stats & PK

Awards & honours

Line-up

Where this record comes from

Why this artist is in the database

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